Author name: Ian Roberts

Jamal Benzafar bats Cheshire County Cricket League Division 2 Ashton on Mersey CC 1st XI 158-9 Lost to Cheadle Hulme CC 1st XI 161-7 Ashton on Mersey fell to another defeat despite an improved performance against Cheadle Hulme at The Beets. Having won the toss and elected to bat, Ashton were rocked before a ball was bowled as one of their top order batsmen had to withdraw from the game due to a domestic emergency. The challenges continued as early wickets fell to the opening attack of Scott Howarth and Andrew Wylie. But the experienced Jamal Benzafar dug in to stabilise the Ashton effort. Benzafar looked set for a half century before unluckily dragging a ball onto his stumps on 47. Runs from Akash Patel and James Marshall allowed the score to mount but when Marshall was last man out with the score on 158, the total seemed below par. The excellent Howarth was the Cheadle Hulme bowling pick, finishing with 4-47. In reply Ashton struck early with Jackson Noske bowling a fiery opening spell, well supported by teenager Charlie Eaton. Cheadle Hulme were rocking on 57-5 before Aayush Singh Slathia and Sam Walker came together to turn the game in the visitors’ favour. Their partnership reached 80 before Noske returned to remove Walker. But despite a final wobble, Cheadle Hulme got over the line for a three-wicket win. Noske was rewarded for a fine effort with figures of 4-35. Jackson Noske bowls The loss leaves Ashton rooted in the relegation zone although they will take some comfort from their improved performance. They will hope to continue the improvement when they visit fellow strugglers Christleton in the next round of league games. Ashton’s 2nd XI lost their top of the table clash with Didsbury. Ashton 145 all out (Nigel Bellamy 4-23) Didsbury 151-4 (Tom Brady 63 not out). Both the 3rd XI and Women’s team lost.

Charlie Eaton bats Cheshire County Cricket League Div 2 Ashton on Mersey 1st XI 66 all out Lost to North East Cheshire 1st XI 320-3 Ashton crashed to another ignominious defeat with a woeful performance at North East Cheshire. Winning the toss and opting to bowl first on a pitch which promised to be challenging for any batsman, Ashton’s bowling attack totally failed to exploit the conditions. Rather than bowling a probing length to trouble the batsmen, a series of short and wide deliveries gifted runs from the start. To add to Ashton’s inept effort, when chances did come their way, they failed miserably to take them. Nine catches were dropped in what became a nightmare day for the visitors. The only bright spot came from teenager Charlie Eaton, making his first appearance for the 1st team this season, who showed his more experienced teammates how to bowl to get the most out of the conditions. North East batsmen Jayden Camp (147 not out) and Jake Reynolds (120) feasted on the offerings of the Ashton bowling, allowing the home side to declare at 320-3 off just 40 overs. If Ashton thought their day could not get worse, they were wrong. With the home bowlers simply using the abundant help that the pitch provided, they took two Ashton wickets in the first two balls of the innings. The remaining Ashton batting fell apart, with a real risk that they would be bowled out for an embarrassing  tiny total. But once again Charlie Eaton showed the application and skill lacking in the rest of the batting lineup to post a fine 41, being last man out with the score on 66. Charlie Eaton bowls Dave Oldfield finished with the remarkable figures of 5 wickets for 3 runs off 10 overs. Ashton are in deep trouble this season and can only hope that the return of some key players and an honest rethink from some of the so-called senior players will help rescue the year. The Ashton 2nd XI continued their fine season with a home win against Hale Barns. Ashton 227- 7 (Ryan Carey 54) Hale Barns 201 all out (S Jaiswal 111 not out).

Macca Hooton bats Cheshire County Cricket League Div 2 Ashton on Mersey CC 1st XI 267-9 Drew with Bollington CC 1st XI 250-9 Ashton on Mersey continued their recovery from a poor start to the season, having the better of a high scoring draw with Bollington at The Beets. Losing the toss and being asked to bat first on a surface which had a touch of green, Ashton were soon in trouble as the opening bowlers reduced the home side to 16-3. But Macca Hooton stayed firm to lead Ashton’s counterattack. Supported by a sensible innings from Noman Ghous, Hooton played with freedom to take the total beyond 100 before Ghous departed. Hooton was joined by Akash Patel and between them they unleashed an assault on the Bollington bowling which saw Hooton cruise to a splendid century as the pair posted a 93-run partnership. Hooton finally fell for a superb 121, leaving Patel to lead the push for runs with the lower order. Patel eventually went for a well-made 72, after which the tail wagged to take the final Ashton score to an impressive 267. The bowling honours went to Toby Phipps, who finished with 5-79 In reply, Bollington’s opening bats started confidently with Harri Dickinson and Ross Duncan putting on a century partnership for the first wicket. The match turning moment came with the introduction of spinner Sam Thorburn, who removed both Dickinson and Duncan before troubling all the Bollington middle order. The visitors kept in the hunt with Theo Johnson hitting out at anything loose, but Ashton continued to chip away at the batting line up, with Mark Weighill grabbing 3 wickets with his spin. Ashton pushed for victory as the ninth wicket fell but on a pitch which had dried out into a fine batting surface, Bollington held on the prevent the home side from recording maximum points. Sam Thoburn bowls Thoburn was the clear star performer with the ball, finishing with 5-66. Ashton will be disappointed not to have grabbed the win, but they will have been satisfied to see a continued improvement to their performance, which they will hope to repeat when they welcome Hale Barns to the Beets in the next round of league matches. The Ashton 2nd XI stormed to a huge victory at Davenham. Ashton 244-3 dec (Farhan Ghous 100, Charlie Eaton 53 no, Asim Khan 50), Davenham 78 all out (Lee Heap 3-15, Yousuf Bhamjee 3-16). The Ashton 3rd XI made it a fine weekend by defeating Didsbury. Didsbury 195-9 (Will Wood 45, Mike Renison 41, Ben Brazendale 3-46) Ashton 197-6 (Saad Alam 71, Jack Prince 5-61).

Cheshire County Cricket League Div 2 Ashton on Mersey CC 1st XI – 216 all out Beat Davenham CC 1st XI  – 196 all out Ashton on Mersey bounced back from their poor start to the season to record a fine win on the road at Davenham. Winning the toss and electing to bat, Ashton lost both openers cheaply before Macca Hooton got the scoreboard moving with some aggressive shots. When Hooton went, James Lines settled in to play the innings-defining knock. Well supported by the Ashton middle order, Lines made the most of anything loose to post an impressive half century. Lines looked to be moving towards what would have been a well-deserved ton when his innings was cut short by an lbw decision. The Ashton tail wagged to add vital runs, taking the total past 200. Ashton would have been well satisfied with their final score of 216 as the last wicket fell in the final over. Sam Thoburn bowls Bowling honours were taken by Muhammad Abid who finished with 4-42. In reply Davenham got off to the worst of starts with opener Mike Rudd falling in the first over, with Mike Roberts holding a sharp catch off Jackson Noske. Matt Jamieson and Abid rebuilt the home reply, posting 78 run partnership before Jamieson was trapped lbw by Roberts. The crucial bowling spell was delivered by leg spinner Sam Thoburn who worked his way through the middle order, never allowing the home side to get on top. With support from the other Ashton spinners, Thoburn dominated proceedings to finish with figures of 5-50. The Davenham innings ended as Noske returned to claim the final wicket, allowing Ashton to celebrate a fine victory. Ashton will be looking to build on their success when they welcome Bollington to the Beets in the next league game. Ashton’s 2nd XI had the better of a draw at home to Urmston. Ashton 210 – 6 (Saeed Bhamjee 82 not out, Charlie Eaton 65) Urmston 148-9. The 3rd XI were beaten in a high scoring game at Cheadle. Ashton 199 -9 (Saad Alam 88, Saad Adeem 4-37) Cheadle 200-3 (Saad Adeem 121 not out, Max Davies 3-51)

Cheshire County Cricket League Div 2 Ashton on Mersey CC 1st XI 108 all out Lost to Stockport CC 1st XI 112-3 Top image: James Lines Bats Ashton on Mersey’s dreadful start to the season continued as they lost heavily to Stockport on a difficult day at The Beets. Winning the toss and choosing to bat first, Ashton got off to the worst of starts, with Stockport’s Mike Eley claiming a wicket from the first ball of the match. Eley continued to make the most of the new ball, reducing the home side to 19-3 before James Lines and Tom Scott began to bring some respectability to the scoreline. But with the total on 67 the Ashton effort fell apart. Eley removed Scott, and with spinner Mark Green inducing an error from Lines, the remaining Ashton batting failed to come to terms with the task. With the final 5 wickets adding only 27 runs Ashton could only post 108 on a pitch on which was full of runs for any side who had the skill and application to bat properly. Eley finished with well-deserved figures of 6-35. In reply Stockport cruised to victory inside 18 overs, helped by some shoddy fielding by the home side who dropped a number of catches. This was a poor effort by the Ashton team, who are now adrift at the foot of the table and in need of a radical rethink to kick start their season. Ashton’s 2nd XI brought some relief to the club by recording a fine win at Stockport, after bowling the home team out for 110 (Lee Heap 3-36) The Ashton 3rd XI lost to Bowdon. Bowdon 218 -8 (Rahoul Viinoday 62, Vaikkun Venkat 53, Charlie Eaton 4-33) Ashton 171-8 (Charlie Eaton 52)

James Marshall in Action